Speedometer cable fitting lock



Aug. 28, 1951 G, s, KONT@ 2,565,659

SPEEDOMETER CABLE FITTING LOCK Filed Feb. 2l, 1949 INVENTOR.

Afro/@MMS Patented Aug. 28, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,565,6594 SPEEDOMETER CABLE FITTING LOCK n George .s Kontra, Oshkosh, Wis. y Application February 21, 1949, Serial No. 77,470

' e claims. (o1. rei-232) This invention relates to improvements in speedometer cable fitting locks.

There are many instances when it is desired or necessary to accurately check on lthe mileage travelled by a particular"automobile. This can ordinarily be done only by nI'neans of the mileage indicated on the speedometer ofthe automobile. Concerns which make lay business of renting Drive Yourself automobiles have particular difliculty in keeping an accurate check on the mileage travelled by their rented vehicles because unscrupulous persons may disconnect the speedometer cable from thev speedometer to prevent the recording by th `speedom.eter of a certain part of the'distanc, travelled.

To prevent this practice, locks have heretofore been devised. These locks, wmile. being effective to prevent undetected disconnec'xtion` of speedometer cables, are of a design which requires a rather complicated installation operation and, in addition,` has to be sav/'ed off and thereby partially destroyed in order to be removed. There are times, such as for resetting'of the speedometer or for repairthereof, when owners of rental'cars wish to have access to the speedometer cable connector nuts of their c ars, and it is desirable that suoli access be quick and easy and without'the expense o f replacement of parts.

It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a key operated lock which prevents disconnection of a speedometer cable by preventing access to the connector nut thereof.

A furtherV object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which may be readily installed or removed by means of a key, but which cannot be'otherwise removed without destruction thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described having a housing which completely encloses the speedometer cable 'attaching nut and which is separable into two parts, said housing parts being hingedly interiitted at onev end and being locked in abutment at their other ends by a'tumbler equipped screw plug which is turnable only upon insertion therein of the` proper key.

Ak further object kof the invention is to provide a device of the class described which is strong and durable, Vvvlriich is simple in construction, which is easy to manufacture, and which is otherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists of the improved speed- `olneter cable tting lock, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the' drawings accompanyingand forming a part of this specification, wherein is shown one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention, and wherein the same reference characters indicate the Ysame parts in all of the views: v`

Fig. 1 is a side View of the improved lock in operative position around a speedometercable connector nut;r A

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Fig'. 1;

3 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

.g ometer having a connector nipple 372 through 'which one end of a speedometer cable 36 removably extends and to which a speedometer` cable connector nut 3i is threadably connected. The nut SI is mounted on oneV end of a speedometer cable housing 33 through which the cable 36 rotatably extends.

vThe numeral I0 indicates a housing which is split into two complementary body members as indicated by the numerals II and I2. The

. housing I is formed with a cylindrical chamber I3, communicating with one end of which is an aperture ifi which aperture extends through the sidewall of the housing I0. A second aperture I5 is coaxial with the aperture I4 and the chamber I 3, and said aperture extends through the sidewall of the housing le opposite the aperture M.

The body member Il of the housing I0 is formed with an upstanding flange I 6 having an aperture Il therethrough, and the body 'member I2 of the housing Ill is formed with an upwardly curved tongue I8 which removably projects through the aperture I'I, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The body member II of the housing Ie is formed with a bore I9 and with a coaxial threaded bore 20 both of which extend at substantially a right angle to the axis of the cylindrical chamberV I3. The body member I2 of the housing I0 is formed with a bore 2I which is coaxial with the bores I9 and 20. The bore 2l is preferably formed with four equally spaced, axially extending grooves 22, and is formed with a portion of enlarged diameter 23 at the outer end of the bore 2| to provide a shoulder 23'.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, a screw plug 24 is formed at one end with exterior threads 25 and at the other end with an enlarged head or shoulder 26. The plug 24 is formed with a cut out portion 21 in which are mounted a plurality of spring loaded tumblers 28. The tumblers 28 normally assume the position shown in Fig. 3. An axially extending key slot 29 (see Fig. l) communicates with the cut out portion 21 in the plug 24, and when a key 30 is inserted in the slot 29, the tumblers 28 are retracted to the position of Fig. 4. The construction and operation of the tumblers 28 is not new, so details thereof will not be given here.

To install the improved lock, it is only necessary to take the complementary body members II and I2 of the housing I0, with the screw plug 24 removed therefrom, and place said members around the speedometer cable connector nut 3| with the tongue I8 extending through the slot I'I. Since the speedometer cable connecting nut 3| is threaded onto the speedometer connector nipple 32, the latter projects through the aperture I and the speedometer cable housing 33 projects through the aperture I4, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5.

With the complementary body members of the housing I0 in the position of Figs. 2 and 3, the screw plug 24, with the key 3U therein (as shown in Fig. 4) to retract the tumblers 28, is inserted in the bore portions I9, 2| and 23. By turning the key 30 the portion 25 of the plug 24 may be threaded into the threaded bore 20. This is continued until the enlarged head 26 is seated in the bore portion 23 against the shoulder 23'. At this point the tumblers 28 are in alinement with the grooves 22 and, therefore, removal of the key 30 allows the tumblers 28 to spring outwardly into the grooves 22 to the positions shown in Fig. 3. Projection of the tumblers 28 into the grooves 22 prevents rotation of the plug 24. The body member I2 of the housing IIJ cannot move away from the body member I I because of the engagement of the enlarged head 26 of the plug 24 with the shoulder 23'. The chamber I3 and the apertures I4 and I5 are preferably sufficiently large so as not to bind the cable housing 33, connector nut 3| or nipple 32, but nevertheless t snugly enough to completely enclose the connector nut 3| and prevent access thereto when the lock is installed.

The improved lock can be quickly removed by insertion of the key 3U in the slot 29, and by then unscrewing the plug 24 by the use of said key to thereby remove said plug from the housing I0. Removal of the plug 24 from both portions of the housing I0 permits said portions to be hingedly swung apart and to be lifted off of the connector nut 3|, thereby providing access to said nut.

The improved lock prevents tampering with the operation of the speedometer and can be readily transferred from one automobile to another without the necessity of replacing any parts thereof.

While the improved lock is shown and its use is described in association with the upper end of the speedometer cable, it is obvious that it many be similarly used on the fitting nut which connects the lower end of the cable to the transmission. It is also obvious that the in VGDQIl may readily be adapted for use as a protective device in many other applications, such as on union nuts of gas meters or the like.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A fitting lock comprising a housing formed of a pair of normally abutting complementary body members having cooperating hollowed portions forming a chamber for enclosing a connector nut, said chamber having oppositely disposed end openings, the iirst of said body members being formed in an abutting surface at one side of said chamber with a threaded recess having a closed inner end and said body member being formed with an outwardly projecting apertured flange on the opposite side of said chamber, and the second of said body members being formed with a bore therethrough coaxial with said threaded bore and being formed with an outwardly projecting curved tongue which is insertable through the aperture in the iiange of the rst body member to form a hinged connection between said members; and a tumbler equipped key operated screw plug having a portion removably insertable through the bore of said second member and engageable with the threaded bore of said first member to maintain the two housing members in abutment while said members are in enclosing relationship with a connector nut, there being means on the wall of one of said bores positioned to coa-ct with the tumblers of the screw plug to lock said plug against rotation when it is positioned in both of said bores.

2. A iitting lock comprising a housing formed of a pair of normally abutting complementary body members having cooperating hollowed portions forming a chamber for enclosing a speedometer cable connector nut, said chamber having oppositely disposed end openings, the first of said body members being formed in an abutting surface at one side of said chamber with a threaded recess having a closed inner end and said body member being formed with a hinge member on the opposite side oi" said chamber, and the second of said body members being formed with a bore therethrough coaxial. with said threaded bore and being formed with a hinge member engageable with the hinge member of the first body member; and a tumbler equipped key operated screw plug having a portion removably insertable through the bore of said second member and engageable with the threaded bore of said rst member, said screw plug also having shoulder means engageable with said second body member when said plug is so inserted and engaged to maintain the two housing members in abutment while said members are in enclosing relationship with a connector nut, there being means on the wall of one of said bores positioned to coact with the tumblers of the screw plug to lock said plug against rotation when it is positioned in both of said bores.

3. A fitting lockcomprising a housing formed of a pair of normally abutting complementary body members having cooperating hollowed portions forming a chamber for enclosing a speedometer cable connector nut, said chamber having oppositely disposed end openings. the first of said body members being formed in an abutting surface at one side of Saidl chamber with a.

threaded recess having a closed inner end and said body member being formed with an outwardly projecting apertured flange on the opposite side of said chamber, and the second of said body members being formed with a bore therethrough coaxial with said threaded bore and being formed With an outwardly projecting curved tongue which is insertable through the aperture in the flange of the rst body member to form a hinged connection between said members; and a tumbler equipped key operated screw plug having a portion removably insertable through the bore of said second member and engageable with the threaded bore of said rst member, said screw plug also having shoulder means engageable with said second body member when said plug is so inserted and engaged, to maintain the two housing members in abutment while said REFRENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 779,032 Draudt Jan. 3, 1905 1.,f83,932 Summers Sept. 11, 1928 1,821,053 Dietz et al Sept. 1, 1931 1,971,797 Shinn Aug. 28, 1934 

